Review: Final Fantasy V Advance (GBA)

Final Fantasy V originally appeared on the SNES and back then Square stubbornly refused to translate the game for release outside of Japan.   Even when the success of Final Fantasy VI proved that there was a market for turn-based RPGs in other territories, their stance did not alter. Of course, times change. Square Enix began to realise that there was immense demand for their back catalogue to be made available. This brought an English language version of Final Fantasy 5 to the PSone, as part of the Final Fantasy Anthology, but this was a shoddy conversion at best. Now, Final Fantasy V makes the move to the GBA and Gamestyle has the opportunity to get to grips with it.

This release however, is not merely a port of the SNES original. Square Enix have revamped the title, promising improved graphics, a new dungeon, more jobs and an improved translation compared to that seen in the Playstation version. However, any fantasy RPG that can fit in numerous pop culture references and even a dig at MASSIVE DAMAGE is doing something wrong in Gamestyle’s books. We’re all for humour in games, but only where it is in-keeping with the tone of the game and not shoe-horned in for the sake of it ,as it has been here.

Not that there’s too much plot or dialogue to worry about. Compared to the bloated, FMV-heavy RPG titles that we’re used to seeing today, Final Fantasy V feels like a diet RPG. The story is simple, easily followed and told in small digestible chunks. Assuming the role of Bartz, a wanderer, you’ll find yourself falling in with a princess, a pirate and an amnesiac (every good RPG should have one) pensioner on a quest to save the four crystals that bind the world and give it power, which are combusting one by one for no apparent reason. Of course, whatever its origins this version of Final Fantasy V is a handheld game, meant to be played on the move and to this end the simplicity of the plot is a benefit. The plot, and consequently the game, is easy to pick up and put down without losing track of what’s happening. In addition, a new quick save option, allowing a save to be made at any point in the game, makes this perfect handheld RPG fodder.   

Whilst the audio still just about holds its own, you’ll be left wondering exactly what graphical improvements have been made to the title. The answer comes in the form of the rather beautiful character portraits that appear when that individual speaks and some improved battle backdrops. But, held up against the likes of the re-imagined Final Fantasy III on the DS, or even its GBA peers, this game struggles. Despite the game’s 16-bit roots, the graphics have a distinctly 8-bit air about them. It’s also something of a mystery why the fairly poor world map wasn’t given an overhaul at the same time as the rest of the game. Although the game is fairly well signposted in terms of where to go next, if you ever get lost, you’ll be cursing the ineffective map.

In any event, the most important thing about Final Fantasy V and what it remains famous for to this day is the job system and rightfully so. Each of your four characters starts out as a blank slate, with only the ability to attack or to use an item. However, as the story progresses, jobs are unlocked which can be allocated to your party as you see fit. Each job has its own unique set of skills and in addition to earning experience from combat, ability points are also earned which raise characters’ job levels. This in turn unlocks more abilities within that job. Where the real genius of the system lies is in being able to change each character’s job whenever you like, with skills that have been learnt through the accumulation of ability points being retained even after you change jobs and allocated to a second battle command slot. This allows different sets of skills to be paired up and combined. Worried your thief is too weak? Level them up as a knight or a dragoon for a while to make them tougher. With over 20 jobs to choose from, ranging from ranging from White Mage to Bard via Ninja and Chemist, there’s plenty of room for experimentation, with the different combinations effecting how you approach each battle. The ability to replay the title using completely different jobs is an added advantage.

Despite the ingenuity of the job system though, there is a fair amount of grinding to be done. This is principally because some of the game’s bosses are tough. Really tough. There’s little or no warning of the approaching difficulty spike and it can be frustrating to have to backtrack and level up. During prolonged periods of grinding, combat becomes little more than a tedious case of having to press ‘a’ a lot, with no real thought involved.

So, thanks to the inspirational design of the job system, Final Fantasy V Advance proves itself to be more than the curio that its first impressions would have you believe it is. Whilst plotting strategic job changes remains as fresh and engrossing today as it ever did, the grinding and sometimes repetitive combat can’t help but detract from the overall enjoyment of the title. 

Rating: 7 / 10

Words by Andy Lucas